Justice
by timahina
Summary: Seto learns of the different sides of Justice and their true meanings, at least in his book.


This was something I'd written up for my Creative Writing class a while ago. All I did was write YGO and Hetalia fics there lol and I rather enjoyed this one so I thought why not post it up.

* * *

 _Justice_

A boy of 15 wandered down the food area of the market, dreading his decision almost instantly. The different aromas of sweet and tangy foods, the torturous sight of fresh meat over fire, the refreshing feel of cold water as a disgruntled man threw his cup and the water landed upon the boy's head. Everything tempted him but he could afford none of it. Part of the endless perks of being nothing but a poor orphan.

He sighed, his bright blue eyes darkened at the sight of the lush apples. His stomach roared; it had been a few days since he last ate something. He licked his lips, wishing he had something - anything to give in exchange. "Hey!" The boy was startled out of his thoughts by the merchant who held a sword in his right hand. "Worthless street urchin! Away from my shop!" The man swung and the boy backed away quickly, running away as fast as his feet could take him.

 _I hadn't even done anything!_ He thought, slowing down to a stop against a building and catch his breath. "I didn't think **staring** at food was a crime now…" He mumbled bitterly and slumped down to the desert ground. The heat was bad, the air too stifling, he just wanted to sleep.

He closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to slowly subdue and his muscles to relax, becoming almost too heavy to move. An object struck him on the side of his head, he jerked awake and felt the object - an apple, fall into his lap. "Wha…"

"Stupid idea to sleep in the streets ya know." An older boy stood in front of him with an annoyed glare – chastising him. "At least not in the middle of the day. Geez, I thought street urchins were smarter than that?"

He narrowed his eyes at the boy. It was not as if he normally slept in the open. There was too much danger to take such a risk; he had more sense than that. "That's none of your business. Go away." He wasn't in the mood to deal with some random stranger trying to preach their unneeded wisdom upon him.

The older boy crouched down and grinned. "And after I went through all that trouble to get you that apple too? That's gratitude." He mumbled as he reached over to the boy's lap to retrieve the apple only for it to be in the boy's tight grasp. "Got a name urchin?"

"… Seto." The younger boy mumbled as he took a bite of the apple, almost in the complete euphoria at feeling the sweet juices flow down his throat. Today, the Gods were kind to him; though a different messenger would be more welcomed, maybe one that was not so eager to insult him. As Seto continued to munch at his apple, he took in the older boy's face to memory. Unruly light hair, bitter dark eyes, and an oddly shaped scar marring the side of his face obviously long healed. His jaw slacked and thin lips drawn out into a line – his entire being screamed thug. Whoever he was, he was not to be trusted. Even if he was effectively saving his life by giving him free food, it was probably stolen. Still, he was not about to refuse. He had more sense than that. "Thanks… for the apple, I mean."

The boy nodded. "No need for gratitude, just practicing my thieving skills." He pulled another apple from his large coat and cocked another grin. Seto blinked, a slight annoyance looming his gaze. Whoever this thief was, he definitely had an air about him. "Say…" The thief started, leaning in close with curiosity in his eyes, "you thirsty?"

 _Just… who is he?_ Already he had given him food and now he was willing to give him water? Why? Who was he? What did he want from him? "… I can't pay you."

He laughed harder.

"Pay me?! Oh man!" The thief was far too amused as he cocked a brow. "I'm a thief! I don't need payment! This is just practice for me."

Seto grew more annoyed than before. He had never heard of something so preposterous! It sounded nothing more than just another name for charity. He furrowed his brows; when had he become dependent? "You realize there are guards, right?"

"So?" His tone flat, bored.

"You don't care?"

He shrugged as he walked forward, Seto walking alongside him. "No, they're easy to avoid. Ya know most of them don't really **guard** , they just sit in the taverns and get drunk." Seto nodded slightly, absorbing the information. Maybe having a temporary reliance wasn't the lowest he could sink.

"Hey…" Seto spoke up, his voice soft. "What's your name?"

The thief scoffed. "Whatcha need that for?"

"… You gave me food and you're about to get me water too. You won't take payment. The least I can do is know your name."

His face contorted, mulling out the logic. "Why?"

"Because it's called decency! Manners! Are common thieves devoid of such things?" How frustrating could the thief become?

He snickered. "Common? I'm no 'common' thief. I'm the Thief _King_!"

Seto suppressed a groan. The company he found… "Stealing an apple-"

"Excuse you," he interjected, "there were _two_."

"… Two apples." The boy gritted his teeth, irritation abundant in his tone. "That still doesn't make you any less common. And so stupid, a thief king. It's ironic."

"Hm?" The thief moved slower, scratching the back of his head as he turned to finally face the boy. "How?"

Seto shrugged and folded his hands behind his back. "Well, thieves take for their own selfish needs. Kings provide for the public good. You can't be in the game for both selfish needs and a giving heart."

He held out his arm, stopping Seto abruptly.

"What?" His demeanor darkened. "Ya believe Kings are good?"

The boy nodded. "Yes."

"You're naïve." He said with no hesitation.

His eyes flared, the deep blue color darkening. "I am not!"

"Then you're an idiot!" The thief yelled, turning his body to the boy. His fists balled up and his expression hardened; feet postured as though he were gearing up for a fight.

As Seto opened his mouth, preparing to calm the thief down, the crowd suddenly grew quiet around them. The people around them suddenly moved to the sides and bowed lowly, their heads on the desert ground and a path formed in the center of the road. The boys followed the trail and saw a procession coming their way. Several strong men with two golden chairs hoisted up on their shoulders, two men sat atop them. Unlike the rest of the crowd, their clothes were clean and fine. Their faces painted and golden bands adorned their skin.

These men were from the Palace, part of the Pharaoh's royal court and on their daily walk about the city to inspect the capital and enjoy the people's loyalty.

The thief sneered. "Ya think they help ya?" Seto turned a bit, stunned by how angered the boy was.

"Yes, I do..."

He chuckled in disbelief. "They parade themselves around to mock people, us common urchins."

"No!" His blue eyes narrowed. "They protect us, provide justice." The memories of his home, the fire, the bandits' cruel laughter as his life crumbled before him…

"Their _justice_ is twisted."

A scoff. "And you're a thief, you would know _so_ well."

The thief laughed bitterly. "Ya really think so?" Seto did not falter. A slow smirk crept up, malice clouding his eyes. "Ya really think they're fair?" Something in Seto told him to run, to get away from the thief. His body grew rigid, unsure of what to do. "Prove it." He took hold of Seto's tunic and thrust him out of the crowd and into the street, stopping the procession in its tracks. He fell with his face in the dirt, hearing the loud gasps around him. Panic flooded him, his blood grew cold.

 _No…_

"Vile urchin!" One of the guards yelled, grabbing at his hair and pulled him up. Seto groaned, the pain increasing from his scalp. "Who do you think you are?!"

"I wasn't-"

No time to defend.

The guard punched him in the gut, silencing him and released his hair. Seto fell again, clutching his stomach.

The crowd around him laughed, merely cheering on the guard's treatment.

Beat him!

Rotten child!

Chain him up!

Punish him!

Seto opened an eye, peering out of the crowd and saw the thief standing there with a cocky smirk. He watched his lips move, no sounds coming out. None he could hear. He understood though.

 _This is their justice_.

Seto pushed himself up against the building, suppressing his pained groans. That damned thief! "It's all his fault…"

He ripped a part of his tunic, wiping the blood from his face. Once again, a criminal entered his life and again, uprooted it. He felt ill. A peasant to a street urchin and now lying against the building and barely breathing. A corpse soon.

 _Damn thief… he thinks that was their justice? No… he just wanted me to suffer. To laugh at me. That's what criminals do. They take, they ruin, they mock. What an idiot I am…_ It was the order of life in which he knew.

He closed his eyes again, that night coming to him again. Flashes of the white dragon appeared; the bandits disintegrating before his eyes. That was justice.

 _Right?_

Those bandits receive punishment by the Gods. Perhaps this was Seto's. For indulging a thief. He laughed bitterly, pain coursing through his chest. Moving was not an option. He closed his eyes, wanting sleep. Perhaps death was an option. A viable one now.

"Hey boy…" A soft voice spoke above him. His eye twitched, not this again. "Hey boy, you alive?" Seto slowly opened an eye and lifted his head a few inches. Standing before him was one of the men from the procession, a High Priest. The Priest rubbed the back of his head, uncertainty on his face. "That was quite a beating you took."

Seto stared, confused. Part of him hoping to collapse. His body was already bruised; he didn't need more pity to kill what little dignity he had left.

The man crouched down and Seto acted on his instincts, scooting his legs closer to his chest. He hissed in pain, more pride lost. "Wha…" His chest hurt and he panted heavily. "What do you… want?"

The Priest smiled softly, holding out a flask and ripped a portion of his cape. "That beating was unnecessary. Especially for a child."

"I'm not a-"

"Quiet." He scolded, wetting the cloth and began wiping the blood of Seto's hands. "I saw what that boy did. You um… you should be careful of your friends." Seto gritted his teeth, that thief was no friend of his! "I should apologize; I did not act on your behalf quick enough."

Seto shook his head. "It… it's fine."

He scoffed. "My duty is to provide the Pharaoh's will and his will is to ensure his people's happiness and safety. Today, I failed."

His eyes widened, surprise filling him. This High Priest was helping him, a street urchin… someone who was far beneath and did not deserve such attention. He was… helping him.

The man frowned. "The chances of you seeing a doctor are slim, are they not?" Seto cast his gaze downward, the answer much too obvious. "Hm, I see no option. This is my fault, I must repay you."

Seto cocked a brow, waiting for the man to just start laughing. A High Priest repaying an urchin? It was a bad joke.

"How about… I send a doctor to you? Will your parents mind?"

"I have none."

"… Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"It doesn't matter." Seto said bitterly. "My father died on the battlefield when I was little and my mother…" He clenched his fists. "She died too, the white dragon aveng…" Seto silenced himself. It sounded dumber to say it aloud. Maybe he'd call him crazy and just leave him there.

But instead, the High Priest stared at him. A certain intensity in his eyes. "It would do you no good to die here miserably. Just know that this," he pointed to the dark alley around him, "is not all there is." He handed Seto the flask filled with water and even went further, removing one of his armbands and slid it down Seto's arm. "I hope we meet again…" He paused, nodding a bit.

A few moments passed before he understood what he wanted. "…Seto."

He chuckled. "Till next time."

Seto lay there, bewildered. Bandits came and uprooted him. A creature of the Gods came and delivered punishment. A thief came and nearly got him killed. A High Priest gave him water.

He grinned. The thief was wrong. This wasn't their justice and he knew that. The thief was wrong.


End file.
